Midwives and nurses now able to prescribe medical abortion drugs
Queensland Minister for Health Shannon Fentiman says the measure will improve access to terminations for rural women.
Queensland has become the first state to allow midwives and nurses to prescribe the pregnancy termination medication MS-2 Step.
The state’s parliament passed laws on Thursday, providing access to specialised training to health practitioners wishing to prescribe or supply MS-2 Step (mifepristone and misoprostol) to a pregnant woman up to nine weeks’ gestation.
The reforms followed the TGA’s easing of restrictions on prescribing MS-2 Step in August last year.
These changes scrapped requirements for GPs to undergo training and allowed other healthcare professional with appropriate qualifications, including nurse practitioners, to prescribe the drugs.
